The Council of Europe’s Intercultural Cities (ICC) Programme, in partnership with ICEI – Istituto Cooperazione Economica Internazionale, coordinator of the Rete Italiana Città del Dialogo (Italian ICC network), hosted a workshop aimed at supporting local authorities and civil society in countering negative narratives and hate speech at the local level during the No Hate Speech Week 2026, on 17-19 June 2026 in Strasbourg.

Recognising that many municipalities continue to face these pressing challenges, the initiative brought together city representatives and NGOs to share strategies and develop effective local responses. As stressed during the first session, “if we don't build the narrative ourselves, someone else will do it and it will be harder to build an effective counternarrative”.

A key focus of the workshop was the presentation of results from the ongoing “STAND - Strengthening Towns’ Activation for new Narratives on Diversity” project involving cities across Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Poland. The project centers on collaboratively creating new narratives rooted in inclusion, dialogue, and mutual understanding. Participants discussed real-life case studies from the involved cities, offering practical lessons learned and approaches that can be adapted in other contexts.

By fostering collaboration between civil society and local governments, the event aimed to inspire more resilient responses to division and discrimination, highlighting the critical role that inclusive, positive storytelling can play in building cohesive communities.